A commonly-assigned copending application Ser. No. 11/709,672, filed Feb. 23, 2007, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference, describes an electrode configuration and RF procedure for use for topical application to the tissue surface or skin of a patient for the non-ablative removal of wrinkles or other cosmetic rejuvenation or skin tightening procedures to improve the appearance of skin tissue. In this RF procedure employing RF energy from an RF generator, it is desirable to raise the tissue temperature to about 41-65° C. to affect underlying skin collagen to tighten the surface tissue, being careful to avoid overheating the skin tissue possibly causing burns and residual scarring. As described in this prior application, preferably a dome shaped electrode is employed while pre-applying to the skin a thermal gel, a known thermally and electrically-conductive material, to help cool the surface. The assignee Ellman International, Inc. of Oceanside, N.Y. has also marketed for this purpose under the name RADIAGE an electrosurgical handpiece known as a wand with a built in dome-shaped or ball electrode for use together with a thermal gel to help cool the surface.